Sunday, October 15, 2006

Jumped into the backseat of a taxi cab--to where, I don't know

Day two of the Alistair Griffin special, this time focusing on some non-album songs. One random detail about Alistair that I forgot to mention yesterday: he co-wrote a song ("Fade Away") that made it to the top 8 in the UK's list of potential 2002 Eurovision entries. It seems like Alistair has a really devoted group of fans (you should see some of the websites dedicated to him--amazing!), so I'm really hopeful that he'll release another album at some point. I'm definitely no expert on him, though, so if I've made any mistakes in describing him or his music or if anyone knows more, I'd love to hear it!

You And Me (Tonight) (Clubstar Remix)--a B-side from the "You And Me (Tonight)" single. Another edit of this remix appeared on a compilation of dance songs, but it was listed as being by "AG vs. Clubstar," which I think is really funny--that the remixers or album compilers were worried that admitting that the original song was by Alistair would mean it wouldn't be accepted (and maybe it wouldn't have been, but did that renaming really fool people for long?). This remix does have a very dance-oriented beat, but Alistair's vocals are slowed down, resulting in an almost haunting effect.

Next up are what I tend to think of as demos, though two out of the four might not be. At any rate, they're not on Alistair's album and I don't think they're on any of his singles. Thanks to this site for the first two (site found by the brilliant Jessica of Dirrrty Pop) and this site for the second two (found through this site--thanks!). I don't necessarily love all four of them, but I do think they're worth listening to. The first two are from before his appearance on Fame Academy and the second two are much more recent--from at least 2005, I think--and were recorded as demos of songs for other artists. Also, I think there are a lot more songs by Alistair floating around out there--I just don't have them.

Kiss And Tell--a sort of mid-tempo song (I say "sort of" because it definitely has its ballad elements), though it doesn't have the energy or bounciness of "Bring It On." It's pretty simple, especially in the chorus.

Last Dance--a ballad. There are some skips in the song (I'm sorry about that--it's the only version I have), but they're tolerable (or at least worth tolerating in order to hear the song). I think I prefer it to "Kiss And Tell," though I couldn't musically pinpoint why--it just works better for me. It has this sort of slow swaying feel to it (which means I actually could see it being played for the last dance at some high school homecoming).

One Crazy Night--moving on to the more recent songs, we have what is definitely my favorite out of these four songs (though part of that might be just because I like uptempo, energetic songs so much). A lot of people have compared Alistair's voice on this song and on "Kiss And Tell" to Ronan Keating (as in, he's "putting on" a Ronan voice), who I've never really listened to, so I can't say one way or the other. It sounds like it would fit in on Bring It On--it's got a similar energy about it. (Incidentally, this song has also been called "Take It To The Limit.")

Take Me Home--a ballad and, though it's less catchy than "Last Dance," it does show a bit more maturity.

To buy the single "You And Me (Tonight)," go here (physical)...and I'd like to recommend his album, Bring It On, again--you can buy it here (physical) or here (digital).

About Me

Songs are posted only for promotional purposes (I love them and want others to know about them, too)--if you like them, please "go out and buy the record"! If you are an artist, represent one, or are a songwriter/producer and would like your songs removed, I'll gladly do so (just let me know).